JONATHAN Thomas says it is “game on” as Worcester look to launch themselves up the Premiership table and qualify for the Champions Cup for the first time.
The Warriors are 12th in the table at the halfway stage, but they are only 14 points behind the team in fifth, Northampton, their opponents at Sixways on Saturday.
“The table is quite congested and not many points separate a number of teams,” said Thomas, Worcester's head coach. “It may be that finishing eighth gets you into the Champions Cup and we have some of our big players coming back in the coming weeks in Ollie Lawrence, Owen Williams and Willi Heinz.
“It is game on for us and we are excited about the rest of the season. We need to keep growing our game, make sure we win our home matches and become consistent.”
Worcester are the only one of the Premiership 13 not to have a player in the England squad, although they will be without Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe and Rory Sutherland when the tournament starts, giving them a potential advantage in the coming weeks when rivals will be drawing on their reserves – Northampton will be without four players on the weekend.
“It is about how teams adapt to players being away and Covid has not gone away,” said Thomas. “I just love the Premiership, an awesome competition. Bath are bottom but they are not a bad side, Bristol were top last season and are now 11th, just below Sale.
“I have never known a season like this one when anyone can beat any of the other clubs on their day.
What makes it exciting is that it is changing season by season. Leicester were one off the bottom a couple of seasons ago and now they are top and Gloucester are fourth having struggled before.
“My message to the players is that it comes down to fine margins. We were massively disappointed not to have won at Bath in the last round having played 79 minutes with 14 men. We had never been closer to winning at The Rec and it was a magnificent effort by the players.”
Worcester are making a big drive in their area off the field and second row Justin Clegg has been appointed a trustee of the Warriors Community Foundation which will see him sit on the charity's board.
“My role is to support what Carol Hart (the Foundation's chief executive) is trying to achieve,” said Clegg. “My job is to make the players aware of the work that is being done in the community and get them involved.”
